A Christmas Apology
by Copper's Mama
Summary: TIVA fic, takes place in season 7. Tony replaces Ziva's necklace. Please read and review!


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A Tony/Ziva fic.

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Disclaimer: The only part of NCIS that I own is seasons 1-6 on DVD.

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A/N: I just couldn't resist this little fic. I absolutely love Michael Weatherly, and the tension between Tony and Ziva. If there were a million fics about these two, it wouldn't be enough, so here's my little contribution.  
Just my version of how Ziva might get her necklace replaced.  
Hope you guys like it, I know I'll love writing it.  
As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!  


Ziva came back from her coffee run and spotted Tony gazing at an object within a long, skinny, velvet-covered box. She wondered what it was, but he saw her walk up and snapped the box closed, shoving it into his desk drawer and acting as though nothing had happened.  
Ziva managed to keep the confusion off of her face, figuring that it was either something personal, or a gift for/from a girl he was seeing.  
Though, now that she thought about it, Tony hadn't been on many dates since the disaster that was Jeanne. He had grown up in many areas, but he hadn't had another serious relationship since that woman.  
As the day wore on, Ziva continued to wonder what could be inside the box. She was fairly certain it was a jewelry box, but she had only seen for a few seconds. Her curiosity was nagging at her.  
Finally, Tony made a beeline for the bathroom after eating too much of his spicy something-or-other, and Ziva made a dash for his desk. He would probably get mad at her later, but she _had_ to know. He would do the same thing if their roles were reversed, only he would have been bugging her about it all day.  
She fished around in his overflowing drawer until her fingers finally closed on the soft box.  
Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction, pulling it out and ignoring McGee's questioning looks.  
Ziva flicked the box open without a moment's hesitation, and as soon as she did, she felt her entire body stop moving. She didn't even realize that she had stopped breathing.  
Inside the box was a necklace - as she had assumed. What she hadn't even considered was what would be on the necklace. It was a star of David. A beautiful necklace, much like her old one. There was a note tucked into the lid of the box. If it had been folded up she probably wouldn't have read it, but it was just a flat piece of paper, pressed into the grooves of the lid to keep it in place. The words stared her in the face, and though they weren't the sweetest and most thoughtful of words, she almost found herself getting a little misty as she read them: _To Ziva. I noticed you were in need of one ... consider it an apology. Merry Christmas, from the pain in your side, Tony.  
_Christmas wasn't even for another couple of months, Ziva knew. She also knew that he must have spent a lot of money on the gift.  
Any further thoughts she might have had about the gift, as well as the giver, were halted as the man in question snatched the item out of her hands.  
"Thank you for going through my desk without my permission," Tony snipped, closing the box with a snap.  
She glanced up at him to see he looked thoroughly embarrassed, and Ziva suddenly felt bad.  
"I am sorry, Tony."  
He regarded her for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "Well ... I guess you ruined the surprise anyway," he stated, handing her the box.  
She held it gingerly in her hands, struggling for the right words. "Thank you, Tony. It is beautiful ... but I do not think I can accept it."  
Tony sighed. "I figured you wouldn't, but oh well. I'm not taking it back."  
Ziva grinned a little at his words, looking up at him. "There is no need for an apology, Tony. I have already forgiven you."  
He nodded. "Yeah, I know. You said. But still ..." he trailed off, standing awkwardly beside his desk.  
McGee had wisely made a quick exit, leaving the two alone. It was late, and Gibbs was busy with Ducky.  
Ziva opened the lid once more, taking the necklace out of the box for the first time. "Would you mind?"  
He blinked, confused for a moment before she held up the necklace and motioned to her neck.  
"Oh, of course," he replied, his palms suddenly sweating.  
Tony wiped them on his jeans before taking the gold chain and waiting for her to turn around and pull her hair up off of her neck. He fought the urge to breathe in her scent and failed miserably, needing to take a breath after he'd clasped the metal in place.  
She dropped her hair back down before he'd removed his hands, and though he could have easily removed them, he found himself trapped where he was.  
"Something wrong?" Ziva asked him in a husky voice.  
He contented himself with the fact that whatever was happening seemed to be affecting her as well.  
"Nope," he answered simply, daring to move his fingers in slow circles.  
She tensed momentarily, but then relaxed under his ministrations, dropping her stance slightly.  
Tony wasn't completely aware of how long they'd been standing there, with him giving her a massage and her drifting into a near unconscious state - that's how relaxed he made her - but suddenly something in the air changed, and he paused what he was doing, his hands stopping on the base of her neck.  
Ziva blinked her eyes open, slowly turning around to face him. The necklace that he had spent weeks searching for gleamed in the dim light of the office, and Tony found himself staring at it.  
"Tony?" she asked him softly, and he was a goner.  
He was fully aware that she could break him like a twig, but he risked it. He dipped his head towards her, pulling her to him with his hands still placed lightly on her shoulders. He expected her to drop him seconds after he'd kissed her, but she didn't. Instead, she kissed him back with even more passion that was fueling him.  
Sometime later - maybe minutes, maybe hours - Tony pulled back, breathing heavily against Ziva's shoulder.  
"Merry - early - Christmas," he whispered, and she chuckled.  
"Thank you," she replied. "I shall have to find you something as well."  
Tony smiled. "Take your time."  
Neither noticed the silver-haired man walking away with a shake of his head and a grin on his face. _Maybe rule 12 doesn't apply to everyone. _

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_The end.  
Hope you guys liked it. Just a short little one-shot for my favorite NCIS pairing. These two have such great chemistry. I like Sasha Alexander, but she doesn't hold a candle to Cote de Pablo.  
Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative.  
Until next time ...! _


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